Ayaka Furue eagles final hole to claim Evian Championship

Ayaka Furue made an eagle on her final hole to claim the Evian Championship by one stroke over Stephanie Kyriacou.

The victory is Furue's second on the LPGA Tour and first major title. She won the Women's Scottish Open in 2022. The Japanese golfer's previous best finish at a major was when she placed fourth at the 2021 Evian Championship.

"I am so honoured to be the winner," Furue said, according to The Associated Press. "I didn't believe that I could get a major win, so I am so happy right now."

There was a three-way tie between Furue, Kyriacou, and Patty Tavatanakit - who owned the best score of the day with an 8-under 63 - heading into the 18th hole.

Kyriacou carried a one-stroke edge entering Sunday's action and, despite collecting a birdie on the last hole, she was ultimately denied a shot at her first LPGA victory thanks to a bogey on No. 17.

"It sucks not to hold the trophy, but if you'd told me I would come second at the start of the week, I would've been happy," she said. "Obviously a lot of stuff worked well for me this week, so just trying to keep the same mindset going forward and hopefully I can win."

Lauren Coughlin held the lead for much of the final round but faded from contention with back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes.

Nelly Korda, meanwhile, finished tied for 26th at 5-under in her return to action after a dog bite injury.

On top of her clutch eagle, Furue birdied three straight holes on the back nine. She was a dazzling 5-under over her last five holes.

"I felt like I had to play aggressively today, but after I started playing, I was a little bit frustrated because I wasn't getting many birdies," Furue said. "After the 15th hole, I gained confidence and that was really good for me."

The 24-year-old racked up eight top-10 finishes this season before Sunday's win.